Agenda and minutes

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at the meeting.

The meeting was webcast on the Council’s website.

Apologies for absence were received from Felicity Kally and from Cllr Winskill, for whom Cllr Allison was acting as substitute.

On behalf of the Committee, the Chair welcomed Cllr Jones back to Overview and Scrutiny and thanked Cllr Egan for all of his hard work during his time on the Committee.

The Chair will consider the admission of any late items of urgent business. (Late items will be considered under the agenda item where they appear. New items will be dealt with at item below. New items of exempt business will be dealt with at item below).

There were no items of urgent business.

A member with a personal interest in a matter who attends a meeting of the authority at which the matter is considered must disclose to that meeting the existence and nature of that interest at the commencement of that consideration, or when the interest becomes apparent.

A member with a personal interest in a matter also has a prejudicial interest in that matter if the interest is one which a member of the public with knowledge of the relevant facts would reasonably regard as so significant that it is likely to prejudice the member's judgment of the public interest and if this interest affects their financial position or the financial position of a person or body as described in paragraph 8 of the Code of Conduct and/or if it relates to the determining of any approval, consent, licence, permission or registration in relation to them or any person or body described in paragraph 8 of the Code of Conduct.

Cllr Adamou declared a personal interest in respect of item 7, as her daughter is a social worker.

To consider any requests received in accordance with Part 4, Section B, paragraph 29 of the Council’s constitution.

There were no such items.

Briefing and answers to questions from Cllr Bob Harris, Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care and Well Being.

The Committee received a briefing and answers to questions from Councillor Harris, Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care and Wellbeing.

The Committee welcomed the achievements reported for 2008, in particular Haringey being awarded a two star rating from the Commission for Social Care  Inspection, and noted the priorities for 2009/10. In response to concerns raised by the Committee regarding reported proposals to top slice the budgets of financially solvent PCTs in London in order to assist Trusts with financial challenges, Cllr Harris reported that he had not been formally notified of any such proposals, and would raise this issue at the next meeting with Haringey TPCT. Cllr Harris also agreed to send a letter to Haringey TPCT from himself and the Leader on this issue. The Committee suggested that a 12-monthly cycle of partnership meetings with the TPCT be established, and Cllr Harris agreed to look into this further. It was further suggested that an item on this issue be included on a future Overview and Scrutiny Committee agenda.

The issue of partnership working was discussed and Cllr Harris acknowledged the examples raised by Committee members where partnership working could have been improved. Cllr Harris gave a commitment that, where issues had been identified, lessons would be learned in order for partnership working to improve in the future. 

The Committee asked about the number of vulnerable adults placed in the Borough by other local authorities, and the procedures that were in place for such cases. The Committee was assured by the Assistant Director, Adult Services, that robust protocols were in place and that figures for the number of such placements would be provided to the Committee outside the meeting.

In response to concerns raised by the Committee relating to the increase in water and heating charges for residents of sheltered housing, Cllr Harris agreed to take this message back. Cllr Harris reported that the service was on target to deliver the savings identified in the budget, and that there were continuing budgetary pressures.

The Committee suggested that the provision of information on proposed changes to GP services should be a priority for Adult Social Care and Wellbeing, and that it was important for work to continue on identifying tools to reduce the amount of time spent by social workers on paperwork.

RESOLVED

That the briefing and answers to questions be noted.

(Report of the Director of Adult, Culture and Community Services) To inform the Committee of the outcome of the Commission of Social Care Inspection’s (CSCI) annual Review of Social Care 2007/08 and to highlight some of the key achievements and areas for development for the Directorate.

The Committee received a report on the outcome of the Commission for Social Care Inspection’s (CSCI) annual Review of Social Care for 2007/08. It was reported that the Council’s social care services for adults had received a two-star rating, and had been rated as ‘good’ against each of the seven outcomes for adult social care. While the positive outcome of the CSCI assessment was welcomed, it was reported that further work was needed on integration of performance indicators with outcomes, to improve the rating of the adult social care service from good to excellent.

The Committee welcomed the CSCI assessment. Safeguarding adults, quality assurance, ensuring that care planning was followed up and ensuring that the transformation programme targets were being met were identified as key areas in which Scrutiny involvement could help to ensure that standards were maintained.

The Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care and Wellbeing emphasised the importance of adult social services working in close partnership with Homes for Haringey, and reported that there were regular meetings between officers and between the respective Cabinet Members. It was also reported that there was a good working relationship with Haringey TPCT.

The Committee thanked officers for their hard work in achieving a positive CSCI assessment, and emphasised the importance of maintaining the level achieved.

RESOLVED

That the report be noted.

Briefing and answers to questions from Councillor Charles Adje, Cabinet Member for Resources.

The Committee received a briefing and answers to questions from Councillor Adje, Cabinet Member for Resources.

In response to a question on progress relating to Hornsey Town Hall, the Cabinet Member for Resources reported that the Hornsey Town Hall Community Partnership was leading on the project, with support from the Council. Cllr Adje asked that Members let him know of any areas of concern in relation to the project. The Committee asked about the Hornsey Central Depot development, and it was agreed that the Cabinet Member for Resources would meet with Hornsey Ward Councillors to discuss the specific impact of this development on the High Street.

The Committee asked whether targets for reducing carbon emissions from council buildings should be more ambitious. The Cabinet Member reported that it was the intention that CO2 emission reduction activities be introduced across all council buildings and that, where reductions in excess of the target could be made, this would be implemented. The Chief Financial Officer reported that the Council had at present implemented a 3.2% reduction in carbon emissions against a statutory target of 2.5%.

The role of the central procurement unit was discussed. The Committee asked about the difference between the cost of the central procurement unit as set out in the budget report and in the Cabinet member briefing provided, and it was agreed that the Committee would be provided with an explanation of the different figures outside the meeting. The Committee also requested that details of the cost of central procurement compared with the savings achieved be provided outside the meeting.

The Committee asked whether the date by which 75% of undisputed invoices should be being paid within 10 days could be brought forward from December 2009. It was reported that the Council would aim to put this in place as soon as possible, but that December had been identified as a realistic timescale due to the number of issues to resolve.

The Cabinet Member reported that the number of consultants engaged by the Council had significantly reduced to around 55, and that a system was now in place whereby any proposal to hire a consultant must be sanctioned by the relevant Cabinet Member.

In response to a question about whether the feasibility of Community Land Trusts had been looked into, the Cabinet Member reported that this could be explored.

It was agreed that the Committee be provided with information on where court  costs awarded against the Council appeared in the budget.

Following discussion of the activities carried out by the Council to encourage benefits take-up, it was reported that, compared with the previous year, there were over 1000 additional benefits recipients.

The Committee raised the issue of the increase in heating and water rates, and the impact on sheltered housing residents with the Cabinet Member.

RESOLVED

That the briefing and answers to questions be noted.

(Report of the Director of Corporate Resources and the Director of Urban Environment) To inform the Overview and Scrutiny Committee of the known extent of the last year of financial uncertainty and the slowdown of the national economy to a recession, to provide empirical and anecdotal evidence of how the state of the economy is impacting on the delivery of a broad range of our key services to residents and the borough and to provide details of mitigating actions that are being taken or are planned in order to ensure service delivery is not unduly interrupted.

The Committee received a report on the impact of the recession on the delivery of key services to residents and the borough, and mitigating actions being taken to ensure service delivery is not unduly interrupted.

In response to a question from the Committee, it was agreed that Members be provided with information on whether Haringey would benefit from the £10m additional funding for Citizen’s Advice Bureaux, announced in the press earlier in the week.

The Committee welcomed the activities to encourage take up of benefits and free school meals, and noted that each Councillor had a role to play in promoting the range of support services available to residents.

The Committee suggested that the key role of community centres in responding to the recession should be expanded further in the report and that the role of the Council in offering paid and unpaid work experience should be explored.  It was also suggested that the report should address issues relating to crime and community safety. It was reported that the Chair had received feedback on the report from the Mental Health Trust, and this would be passed on to the report authors outside the meeting.

The Committee welcomed the report, and thanked the Cabinet Member for Enterprise and Regeneration for speaking to the report.

RESOLVED

i)                    That, taking into account the comments and suggestions made by the Committee, the report be noted.

ii)                  That the report be put forward for consideration by Cabinet.

(Report of the Director of Urban Environment) To update the Committee on Haringey’s Regeneration Strategy and the rollout of the delivery plan.

The Committee received a report on the Regeneration Strategy.

The Committee raised concerns about the development issues affecting the North Tottenham area, and the impact these were having on the local community and economy. The need for an appropriate balance of uses was emphasised, and it was agreed that policy should be reviewed to ensure that the issue of providing local facilities for local neighbourhoods was adequately addressed.

RESOLVED

That the report be noted.

(Report of the Director of The Children and Young People’s Service) To inform Members of the results at Foundation Stage, Key Stages 1, 2, 3, 4 and Post 16 for 2008.

The Committee received a report on exam results at Foundation Stage, Key Stages 1, 2, 3, 4 and Post 16 for 2008. The Committee was advised that, due to a national delay in validating the results for Key Stages 2 and 3, the report included estimates for these results, and a final report would be brought to the Committee once validated results were available.

The Committee welcomed the improvements seen within the exam results, and praised the pupils, teachers, staff and the former Director of the Children and Young People’s Service for their achievement.

In response to a question from the Committee on how long it would take for Haringey to reach the national average for pupils achieving 5 or more A*-C grades at GCSE, including English and Maths, it was reported that Haringey was on target to achieve this within 2 years but that it was hoped that it could in fact be achieved within a year.

It was reported that work was ongoing to address the disparities in results for the different groups identified in the report. It was reported that there was an emphasis on developing language skills in Early Years, and that this would be of benefit to pupils for whom English was not their first language.

The Committee requested that analysis of results for white, working-class males be included among the grouping of results in the final version of the report.

RESOLVED

That the analysis of the results set out in the summary report be noted.

(Report of the Chair of Overview and Scrutiny) To suggest areas where Overview and Scrutiny might usefully conduct an in-depth review, further to the Committee asking for a report on the possibility of undertaking an in-depth review on the co-ordination of services for 16 -19 year olds.

The Committee received a report on the feasibility of undertaking an in-depth review on the co-ordination of services for 16-19 year olds, and on areas where such a review might usefully be commissioned.

The Committee considered the options set out in the report. Young people leaving care, and the transition from the Children’s Service to Adult Social Care were identified as particular concerns by Members.

RESOLVED

i)                    That a review into the transition of young people looked after by the Council from the Children and Young People’s Service to Adult social care be commissioned, looking at how people are identified and how planning takes place to support the transition to adult services or redirection to mainstream services where eligibility for adults is not met.

ii)                  That the co-options as set out in the report be agreed in principle and that the review be undertaken in accordance with the principals set out in Paragraph 13 of the report.

To confirm and sign the minutes of the meetings held on 12 January and 21 January 2009.

RESOLVED

That the minutes of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee meetings held on 12 January 2009 and 21 January 2009 be confirmed and signed by the Chair.

There were no new items of urgent business.

The meeting closed at 22:00hrs.